profligate

adjective prof·li·gate \ ˈprä-fli-gət , -ˌgāt \

Updated on: 10 May 2018

Definition of profligate

1 : wildly extravagant

profligate spending

2 : completely given up to dissipation and licentiousness : shamelessly immoral

leading a profligate life

—

profligately

adverb

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See profligate defined for kids

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Examples of profligate in a Sentence

In a curious way, part of the genius of America has been a collective forgetfulness, a talent for somehow outdistancing problems in a headlong race toward something new. It is a form of heedlessness, perhaps, blithe and profligate, but also an exuberant forward spin that may spare people the exhausting obligations of revenge. —Lance Morrow, Time, 4 Apr. 1988
Sure, the trade deficit symbolizes a profligate America, consuming more than it produces and spending more than it has. —Philip Revzin, Wall Street Journal, 17 Mar. 17, 1988
Everyone seemed fond of statistics, but the counterterrorism experts were especially profligate with numbers. —Kurt Andersen, Time, 24 June 1985
She was very profligate in her spending.
profligate movie producers hoping to create the next blockbuster

Recent Examples of profligate from the Web

Germans and other taxpayers in Northern Europe already are cutting substantial checks to stabilize profligate eurozone countries in crisis.

— joseph c. sternberg, WSJ, "Follow the Money—and Macron’s Vision—to Europe’s Future," 26 Apr. 2018
Harley Shaiken, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and an expert on labor issues, says the UAW doesn't have a culture of profligate spending.

— phoebe wall howard, Detroit Free Press, "Incoming UAW boss was aboard $1,600 bus ride cited in scandal," 20 Apr. 2018
What Smith knew of Shin's background as a dodgy business partner—or the extent of his profligate spending in Vegas—is tough to discern.

— james vlahos, GQ, "The Mystery of the Killer Vacation," 18 Apr. 2018
Web consultancies like Razorfish were just as profligate as Pets.com, but those organizations really did solve problems for businesses, governments, and organizations.

— ian bogost, The Atlantic, "The Dot-Coms Were Better Than Facebook," 13 Apr. 2018
The view of a profligate start-up struggling to make good on its promises has been reinforced by unflattering information leaking out through litigation with former employees.

— joshua brustein, latimes.com, "Magic Leap ships its much anticipated augmented reality device under tight security," 31 Mar. 2018
While Pruitt did receive a stern wag of the finger from White House chief of staff John Kelly for his profligate travel spending, Pruitt’s isn’t anywhere near the most outlandish in the Cabinet.

— umair irfan, Vox, "Outrage from environmentalists will only boost Pruitt’s standing in Trump’s orbit.," 30 Mar. 2018
The profligate city-state's $59 billion debt deferral late last month sent investors fleeing from nearby markets like Abu Dhabi and Kuwait.

— Newsweek, "Amazing Photos of Bioluminescent Phytoplankton," 14 Mar. 2018
With the minimum wage now worth just $3 a month, Mr. Rodríguez says such a move could bring average income levels to more than $70 monthly within a year while ending Mr. Maduro’s profligate printing of bank notes.

— anatoly kurmanaev, WSJ, "Renegade’s Long-Shot Bet to Win Venezuela Race: the U.S. Dollar," 14 Mar. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'profligate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Don't Get Overwhelmed By the History of profligate

When a royal record keeper reported the "profligation of the knights" almost five centuries ago, he didn't mean the knights were wildly indulging in excesses; he meant they were thoroughly defeated in battle. There's nothing etymologically extreme there; the Latin verb profligare, which is the root of both profligate and the much rarer profligation (meaning "ruin"), means "to strike down," "to destroy," or "to overwhelm." When the adjective profligate first appeared in print in English it meant "overthrown" or "overwhelmed," (a sense that is now obsolete) but over time the word's meaning shifted to "immoral" or "wildly extravagant."

Origin and Etymology of profligate

Latin profligatus, from past participle of profligare to strike down, from pro- forward, down + -fligare (akin to fligere to strike); akin to Greek phlibein to squeeze

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1617

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

profligate Synonyms

profligate

noun prof·li·gate \ ˈprä-fli-gət , -ˌgāt \

Definition of profligate

: a person given to wildly extravagant and usually grossly self-indulgent expenditure

Examples of profligate in a Sentence

"Why did you ask that scoundrel, Rawdon Crawley, to dine?" said the Rector to his lady, as they were walking home through the park. "I don't want the fellow. He looks down upon us country people as so many blackamoors. … Besides, he's such an infernal character—he's a gambler—he's a drunkard—he's a profligate in every way." —William Makepeace Thackeray, Vanity Fair, 1848
a profligate who could not really afford the grand style he maintained at Monticello, Jefferson died deeply in debt
a drunken profligate, he was given to wretched excess in every aspect of his life